Page 45 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

“Tessa.”

She sits across from my desk and opens the file before I’ve even fully lowered myself into my chair.

“This is the revised draft for the north property lease,” she says. “There are a few points requiring clarification before I finalize anything.”

I take the folder and skim the pages.

Most of its standard. Extension language, liability phrasing, environmental access restrictions, insurance coverage.

The kind of contract work that keeps the ranch standing in ways most people never notice until a sentence costs them six figures.

Then I hit the flagged pages.

I read them once.

Then again.

My face must shift, because Tessa folds her hands and waits rather than filling the silence.

“These dates are inconsistent,” I say.

“Yes.”

“And this addendum references a vendor schedule that doesn’t match the supporting paperwork.”

“Also yes.”

I look up.

Tessa’s expression remains calm, but I know her well enough to see the faint line of irritation beneath it. Not at me. At the sloppiness.

Tessa doesn’t mind conflict. She minds imprecision. We have that in common.

“Where did this draft come from?” I ask.

“Your office records.”

I feel my jaw set. “It shouldn’t have.”

“That,” she says smoothly, “was my assumption.”

I go back to the pages. The errors aren’t dramatic. Not the kind that would scream fraud or stupidity at a glance. They’re the sort that slip through when people get comfortable.

A wrong cross reference here. A reused attachment there. Language carried over from a prior draft without anyone verifying the linked schedule still applies.

Small mistakes become big ones when they’re written into contracts.

“We hired an accountant for a reason,” I say, closing the folder. “These kinds of irregularities won’t keep happening.”

Tessa studies me. “Is she settling in?”

The question lands too close to the morning for comfort.

“She’s competent.”

Tessa’s mouth curves. She knows I’m lying to myself in some way I haven’t yet identified. “Oh, she’s good.”

My attention narrows. “Who told you that?”